So Many Decembers

so many Decembers

I long for snow

for some sign

that the season is 

more than sticks of brown 

against grey skies

today, a gift

bright blue overhead

cumulous clouds floating by

sparkles everywhere

as snow continues to fall

 

Bear Tracks & Gratitude

When I visit my sister, down in New Jersey, we make sure to take a nice long walk together. It was late afternoon when we found our way to the trail on this snowy and cold December day. "Let's go to the second bridge," she suggested, and I agreed. 

We walked along, talking about our lives. Fresh from our uncle's funeral, we reminisced about our childhood, when our families gathered to celebrate the holidays. The length of time between then and now took our breath away. We walked in silence for a while.

Reaching the second bridge, I saw tracks in the snow. Bear tracks. Sue went on ahead of me, while I stood over the tracks, taking pictures and marveling that only a short time ago, a bear had walked this very path! 

The encounter got me to wondering about all the creatures who walk along the same paths as we, of whom we never see any sign. I thought about our responsibility for those hidden neighbors, to ensure the waters run clear and the winds blow fresh. To ensure that there is freedom and space for the wild ones who prefer to keep their distance.

I also contemplated the uplift my heart feels whenever I see a sign that some rare (or common) creature has passed this way. The gift of knowing that we share this place, this earth, with those who are so different from us, and yet who are also, in some unique ways, so similar.

Gratitude filled me up, and buoyed my spirit as Sue and I, and her faithful dog, Nik turned back toward home.

Beautiful Silence

The snow is falling steadily today

beautiful

just beautiful

but

when it comes to snow

vision is not primary

such silence

everything hushed so profoundly

I hear each snowflake

fall through the sky

a descant

coming down to earth

landing as a tiny secret

indistinguishable to the eye

 from all the rest

beautiful

just beautiful

 

Reading Without Guilt (Mostly)

 Today was cold, with a bitter wind blowing. When I first woke up and sat on the couch with my tea and meditations, the snow that hit the window just over my shoulder took the form of pellets. Needless to say, I did not feel drawn to hurry outside for my daily constitutional.

Winter hits pretty hard when it comes here to Vermont. It can catch me off guard, lulling me in with sunny autumn days when I can hang my laundry outside and let it dry in the soft breezes.

I took my walk, but later than usual. Hung the laundry inside near the wood stove, made some soup with the Thanksgiving leftovers, and then, settled in by the fire to read. My book caught me up in its world as darkness fell.

What little guilt I had for reading my day away was absolved by reminding myself “it’s for book club. I have to finish it by Thursday!”

But then I wondered why guilt comes up, at all? With so many wonderful books to read, why do I chastise myself for taking the time to actually sit down and read some of them? Maybe, just maybe, it is my responsibility to read more books, to make it worth the while of all those hope filled authors who spent days agonizing over plot and character and turns of phrase.

I like this thought. Maybe this is a part of my charge as a retired person, one small way to make good use of my time.

Thanksgiving

I am grateful for the little things that make life so meaningful:

Nourishment for body, mind and spirit

Family gatherings

Friends around the table

Conversations that draw me in

Sunshine after clouds

Earthy scents of fresh air

Flowing streams and ocean waves

Deep breaths that calm

Smiles of welcome

A full heart

 

Tiny Doses of Gratitude

 

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and because of this, thoughts of gratitude are in the air. 

So often, we think that gratitude has to be related to something BIG. We assume that the bigger the better, the bigger, the more gratitude generated. But I just listened to a program on the radio on which the professor spoke of research that has proven gratitude is especially valuable when we feel it for many little things throughout our day.

It is better to look for and notice small things you are grateful for as you go about your daily life. Weaving appreciation through your day is more effective in terms of actually helping us become more grateful, more positive, than setting aside a special time to reflect on what you are grateful for once a day.

The whole idea is to build your gratitude muscle, as you might any other muscle. 

The picture I posted above is of my favorite vacation place. When I am there, I definitely feel gratitude for all I see and experience. But what that story reminded me, is to recognize what I am grateful for in my ordinary life. To remember that there is extraordinary value in appreciating the simple pleasures of my home and my life here. 

Tiny doses of gratitude can add up to big changes in attitude.

Fostering Community

 Fostering community

building bridges

offering help

being of service

reaching out

seeking out

ways to contribute

This community

my home

where roots stretched into the soil

more than 30 years ago

still draws my heart

requires something

of me

whether hands or heart

changes with circumstances

All I know

is that I choose 

to respond

to be a part of things

here